Jaden Akins powers Michigan State past Monmouth in opener

Jaden Akins scored a game-high 23 points to lead Michigan State to an 81-57 season-opening home win over Monmouth in East Lansing on Monday. A senior guard, Akins went 8-of-12 from the field and added nine rebounds for the Spartans. Freshman Jase Richardson was the only other Michigan State player in double-figures, scoring 10 points. Szymon Zapala had nine points and eight rebounds as well for Michigan State, which shot 27 of 43 on 2-point attempts, which made up for going just 3 of 18 from 3-point range and 18 of 27 from the free-throw line. Michigan State held a 48-31 rebounding advantage. Abdi Bashir Jr. scored 20 points in defeat for Monmouth, which shot 27.9 percent from the field overall (17 of 61), with eight of those made field goals being from 3-point range. Monmouth stayed within striking distance in the second half, cutting Michigan State's lead to 53-43 with 11:51 remaining after a 3-pointer by Andrew Ball. But the Spartans got some breathing room after that, going on a 7-0 spurt and taking a 60-43 lead with 9:50 remaining following a dunk by Akins that was created on a defensive steal by Richardson. Michigan State eventually built its lead up to 20 at 66-46 following a dunk by Zapala with 7:20 to play. Trailing 38-27 at halftime, Monmouth scored the first five points of the second half to cut Michigan State's lead to 38-32. The Spartans countered with an 8-2 run to take a 46-34 lead with 16:02 remaining in the game after a 3-pointer by Akins. Michigan State was hot from the start, scoring the first nine points of the game and jumping out to a 17-2 lead with 12:53 remaining in the first half. Monmouth managed to cut its deficit to 27-17 with 6:43 remaining in the first half before trailing by 11 at intermission. --Field Level Media